Time Stops Photography

Family Time

2012-01-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

One of the best things I ever did was purchase a membership to the Morton Arboretum. Okay, well that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But, it was still a pretty darn good move! After just 3 family visits, it has more than paid for itself. There is an awesome children's garden, which we visit a few times each year, great walking paths and amazing colors in the fall! When we get a huge snowfall, it feels like you are wandering through a fairytale setting! And then, we get to attend cool events like the one this weekend.

Yesterday and today, the Arboretum had an event called Husky Heroes. A film was shown several times throughout the day about the history of the Iditarod, followed by a series of photos from some of the recent races of the past couple of years. There were Huskies up for adoption and Huskies for the kids to pet. Finally, a sledding demonstration was held in one of the open fields so we could all get a teeny tiny taste of what it looks like at the Iditarod. Though rather cold outside, i enjoyed every minute. Oh, and did I mention that my daughter loves Huskies? I feel so lucky to have access to these unique events we get to do from time to time!

On our way to the demos - she stopped to play with the snow and her walking stick

A husky sledding demo

They were just beautiful - resting in the sun before their run

I did not know that Huskies came in more colors than just black and white

Look at those gorgeous eyes! This is Murphy.

My daughter petting Murphy! She loved every second

Waiting for the "racing" to start

Here comes the first team...

Another team rounding the corner

And riding off into the sun... (note the pink booties!)

What a fun day and a great learning experience for all of us. While I don't think I'll ever head up to Alaska to watch the Iditarod, it was fun to get a small inkling of it here in our backyard.

New Beginnings

2012-01-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

There's something so powerful about those two words. New Beginnings. We just had one with the start of 2012. While life wasn't really any different on December 31, 2011 than it was on January 1, 2012, in my mind it's all a part of a fresh new start. A good jumping off point for those things I've been wanting to do for awhile...

* I've started walking and running on my treadmill. Three days on, one day off. So far so good. I've now announced this publicly so perhaps that will help to keep me motivated. :) I'm also planning to run/walk my first 5K in April in honor/memory of one of my best friends, Sheryl Garrett, who lost her battle with ovarian cancer a little over a year ago.

*I will be working on a new, improved and updated website. This upcoming May my business will be three years old. I have NO idea how that happened but it's true. So, time to freshen some things up a bit. That will come with some new pricing, new print options and a few new policies. Each year has brought wonderful new learnings that I want to put into practice.

*I ordered new business cards that I absolutely love. Check out Moo.com if you need cards as well.

*I have a new Project 52 underway. In 2010, I did my first 365 project where I took and posted a photo every day for the entire year. It was an incredible learning experience and I'm so happy I did it. I'm still not ready to take on another one though. So, one photo a week sounds much more doable. I'm not following any sort of theme. I'm simply taking photos that move me or highlight something special for that week.

*I have a goal to go to be earlier this year - in generally. While I am a night owl without a doubt, a bed time of midnight every night gets a bit old.

*Finally, I have GOT to be better about posting on this blog. I can't believe a month has gone by already since my last post. You know how we all have things that we just aren't good at? Well, if I'm being honest, this is one of them. Regardless, new year, new plans for posting more frequently. Comments help (hint, hint). It lets me know someone is reading my ramblings and encourages me to do more!

So, on that note, it's almost 10:30pm and I'm going to hit the hay. Below are my first three Project 52 images. More to come.

New Beginnings

There's nothing like a close girlfriend to share wine and laughter with!

My sweet, furry baby. I could not possibly love this kitty more than I already do!

Wishing you all the best in 2012!

Tis the Season for Baking

2011-12-21T20:35:00.000-08:00

Oh how I want to be better about posting on the blog. But, the funny thing is that the world doesn't stop and wait for me to upload, edit and resize my photos so I can get a new entry going. Thanksfully, I've finally found some time to get this overdue post going on a topic I don't visit very often....baking. I will admit I am a much better baker than I am a cook. But, since we only have 24 hours in a day instead of say, oh, 32 or so, I rarely have the time. But, each Christmas, starting about 4 years ago, we bake and decorate Christmas cookies. We make the dough from scratch as well as the frosting. Last year, we grabbed the food coloring and added some extra pizazz to the frosting, which we repeated this year. Each year we add a few more decoration elements and each year we get a bit better.

We've amassed quite the arsenal of decorating options.

We love to give personalities to our cookies!

There's some serious concentration going on here.

One of the first masterpieces!

I love all the red and green!

A perfect Christmas tree!

I love that we have started this tradition. We always keep two cookies set aside for Santa each year and put them out on Christmas Eve, along with milk in a Snowman glass.

Here's wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year!

New Friends

2011-12-02T20:11:00.000-08:00

I originally "met" Caroline through Flickr. I saw her work quite some time ago and absolutely fell in love with it. Recently, I saw she had moved to Chicago and reached out to see if she might like to meet up for coffee one day. I find it truly fascinating that this amazing digital world we live in allows us to connect with people from all over the world, most of whom we'll never meet. However, every once in awhile an opportunity presents itself where I get the chance to say hello in person. I was thrilled when Caroline accepted my offer and we quickly got a date on the calendar. She chose a very cool coffee shop, which had the best hazelnut latte I've ever had! When our coffees were ready, I refused to take a sip of mine before walking to the table as I wanted to take a photo of them both. It's a wonder I didn't spill anything!

We talked pretty much non-stop for 2 hours before finally heading down the street to find a place for lunch. Along the way, we stopped to take a few photos of each other. In this neighborhood, there is some really cool wall art!

We found our way to Jimmy John's and continued chatting away. I snagged a photo of her really cool tattoo - what's not to love about this???

The three hours flew by and before I knew it, we had to head our separate ways. I'm thrilled to have a new friend who shares my passion for photography. I can't wait until our next get together!

The K Family Sneak Peek

2011-11-21T07:32:00.000-08:00

I must sound like a broken record by now but I truly can't believe I did not have to reschedule even one session this fall due to poor weather. For this sweet family, we did move our session to the afternoon to avoid the morning chill and ended up with another 50+ degree day. The littlest guy is only a few months old and was one of the calmest, most content babies I have ever met. The little girl was so full of personality that her beaming smile made me giggle. We had a great time during this family session and I'm always thankful for new clients. We still had some great color all around us, as you'll see.

Thank you for the opportunity to photograph your family! What adorable little munchkins you have. Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving and wonderful holiday season!

A Happy Engagement

2011-11-20T12:13:00.000-08:00

So this was my first official engagement photo session. I don't normally get to do these as I am not a wedding photographer. When K called, I explained that most photographers who shoot weddings include an engagement session. As she hadn't yet chosen a photographer and really wanted some engagement photos taken, she decided she would like for me to do them. I was thrilled! What more could you ask for than two people who are in love, willing to be all snuggly and happy in front the camera, while I happily click away?!?! Rock on!

We met downtown Chicago, at North Avenue Beach, on a very chilly fall day. I'd say it was below 40 degrees but these two were troopers. We had all dressed for the weather and they managed to get through the whole shoot without jackets! When the wind wasn't blowing, it honestly wasn't too bad. I loved that they were willing to do anything I asked of them. We all laughed through so much of the session. What is there not to love about my job?

Thank you for asking me to take your engagement photos. I couldn't possibly have had more fun with the two of you. I wish you all the best in your life together and most especially, lots and lots of laughter!

The F Family Sneak Peek

2011-11-13T06:14:00.000-08:00

I loved getting to photograph this family for the second time this year! Our first shoot was back in May and the littlest guy wasn't quite walking yet, though he was a super fast crawler. This time, we was most definitely on the go and their sweet girl just got cuter! We had a wonderful weather, though we did move the shoot a day earlier and into the afternoon to avoid the frosty, chilly mornings! We met at Graue Mill and had a great time!

This is, by far, one of the most creative moms I've worked with in terms of getting the kids together for a photo. We struggled to the the little guy next to his sister without him going in a different direction. So, she put him in "time out" because after every time out, he has to hug his sister. Then, we wanted him to walk towards us but he was having none of it. So, she created a trail of fruit snacks to get him to move towards me. But, the first one mesmerized him and then he was super fast in getting the rest. It made me laugh and I so appreciated the unusual ideas! We did finally get them side by side on this rock - long enough for me to snap a few quick ones!

Enjoy your sneak peek! Thank you for asking me to be your photographer for a second shoot. It was so much fun! Happy Thanksgiving!

The P Family Sneak Peek

2011-11-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

Oh did we ever luck out with the weather on this day! November 1st and it was 63 degrees out and sunny. Wow! A gorgeous fall day with some wonderful colors all around us. The kids had a great time playing among the trees and leaves and I had a great time snapping away!

It was wonderful to meet all of your munchkins! I hope you enjoy the images so far.

More to come soon.

The A Family Sneak Peek

2011-11-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

This family shoot was a year in the making. A gift certificate was bought for a gift last Christmas. But, as it often happens, life sometimes gets in the way and our plans don't quite take shape when we think they will. However, we finally got a date set this fall for a full family shoot, something that hadn't been done before with everyone together, including an 11 month old Great Dane named Jaeger. We ended up moving the shoot to the afternoon as it would have been a tad too chilly that morning. The sun shone and it was beautiful later in the day.

I'm so happy we got the shoot in before the weather turns into true Winter. Enjoy the photos! And thank you for asking me to be your photographer!

The T Family Sneak Peek

2011-11-04T06:09:00.000-07:00

This family shoot was originally supposed to take place in the morning. However, the forecast was for 35 degrees and frosty. Brrrrrr! Fortunately, we were able to move the shoot to the afternoon, when it was going to be 55 degrees and sunny. So much better! This family session came about when the mom bid on an won a Silent Auction package I had donated to our Elementary School last May. We got the date set for the end of October and had a great time! What a beautiful family. And the kids were truly sweet and interacted with one another wonderfully.

I so enjoyed spending time with all of you! Enjoy the photos!

A Fun Fall Day

2011-11-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

I first photographed these adorable little people (and their mom) last November. I was thrilled to get to do another shoot this year. They are both so full of personality that it makes capturing images of who they are oh so easy. They were dressed perfectly and more than happy to play in the leaves and explore everywhere we went.

Thank you so much for asking me to photograph your family again. it was pure joy for me spending a few hours with all of you. Enjoy the photos!

The R Family Sneak Peek

2011-10-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

I've known this family for quite some time now, through a mutual friend of ours. I was so pleased to be able to have a photography session with them on a beautiful fall day. I can hardly believe how much time has passed since their daughter was a tiny new baby and I carried her around for several hours at party we were all attending. How time sure does fly! We met at a local park and had a perfect morning with warm sunshine and gorgeous fall colors!

We finished up our session with some fun playing in the leaves and leaf fights!

Thank you so very much for asking me to be your photographer! I had a great time hanging out with your family. Enjoy the photos!

The E Family Sneak Peek

2011-10-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful fall day for this family's photo shoot! The sun was shining, the colors were vibrant and the little girls were absolutely adorable. We started out on the front porch of a house on Graue Mill's property. I've been at Graue Mill for a few shoots before but had never noticed this house. I parked facing a different direction that day when I arrived. It's funny the things you see when you go a different way or look in a different direction. It's always good to change your perspective. The house we started out at is one of the oldest buildings in DuPage County. The outside has been rehabbed but the inside is apparently still gutted. Just a little bit of trivia for you. :)

From there, we moved over to the main area of the Mill with lots of wonderful trees and leaves. We tossed leaves and there was a game of family tag in the mix as well. Oh how I love this season!

We finished up with the girls holding their special blankets and did some of just Mom and Dad.

It was truly wonderful to meet your family and spend a few hours together capturing this point in time. Enjoy the photos and the rest of the season!

Our second shoot

2011-10-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love getting to photograph the same family more than once. It's so much fun to see the kids grow and change. And, when the mom of the group is an old friend from college, well, that makes it even better! The first shoot with this family was 2 years ago when I was just getting started with my business. The kids were adorable and we had a great time at Cantigny. Two years later, we met again at Graue Mill and had another fun shoot. The day was beautiful with great colors and very willing subjects. I love how this photography bug in me keeps me connected with very special friends that have been on my journey through this life so far!

Look at this gorgeous family!

The kids we so fabulously willing to do whatever I asked of them!

What a sweet, sweet smile.

Pretty in pink!

His smile makes him look exactly like his mom. I love it!

I always forget to try this set up. So glad I remembered this time.

I hope you enjoy the first round of images. Thank you for asking me to do another shoot. It was wonderful to spend this time with all 5 of you!

A Dancer's Day

2011-10-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

I just realized I'm a bit behind on my blog posts. This one is about a beautiful dancer who won my Senior Photo Shoot Contest a few months back. I was thrilled that she won it, as I knew we could certainly have a lot of fun both in the ballet studio and then outside. Most of my shooting is done outside. However, it was drizzling the morning of this shoot and so it was just perfect that we were starting inside. What a fun time we had!

I couldn't decide if I liked black and white or color better. So I did both!

Jeans and pointe shoes. Not sure what I love so much about this combination, but I do.

This was our final indoor shot. Love this one!

After our studio time, the sun came out and we headed to a nearby beautiful park. The colors couldn't have been any better and my subject was such a fantastic model!

Such a classy girl!

Being a dancer, I knew she'd create a great jump shot!

This was just a cool spot. So glad we worked our way down the path.

I had so much fun with this session! Wishing you a wonderful Senior year. You'll be successful in whatever path you choose!

The W Family Sneak Peek

2011-10-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

So, every once in awhile, I talk about how there is very little photographic evidence that I exist in my family. That's because I'm always the one holding the camera! The same holds true for this Dad, who is a fellow photographer. We are both always busy taking pictures of other people's families that it's rare we have our own done. As with my last blog post, this shoot was originally supposed to happen last year. Life flew by and here we are, one year later. We got a date set, the weather couldn't have been more perfect, and a shoot was had! My main focus was to get family shots, as having a photographer for a dad, these kids are beautifully photographed on a regular basis. But, I couldn't resist getting just a few while we were out, spending some time together.

One of our first shots as we got into the groove.

Three sweet munchkins. Oh how I love fall and the colors that come with it!

Little girl secrets!

A moment of distraction - he was swiping leaves from the pile his sisters were building and putting them in his own pile. It was hilarious to watch. He's holding out a leaf that "fell into their pile and they could keep" as a way to district from the girls from what he was really doing. It was hilarious to watch!

So much love. One of my favorites from the whole shoot.

A perfect fall day with a beautiful family that is oh so fabulously coordinated.

Thank you, again, for asking me to be your photographer for this family shoot! I was flattered to be asked and enjoyed getting to know the kids a bit more. Your full gallery will be on its way soon!

Happy Fall!

Family of Three

2011-10-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

This shoot was originally supposed to happen a year ago. But, as it often does, life gets in the way and things get postponed. It's all good though. I believe everything happens exactly when it's supposed to.

My history with this mom goes way, way, waaaaay back. We met when we were probably 5. And no, i'm not going to tell you exactly how long ago that was! She and I grew up in the same condo complex and went to elementary, junior high and high school together. Many years passed and only within the last year and a half or so, did we get back in contact. I love seeing someone again who I've known for that long.

Now, there is a beautiful little girl and a sweet husband who make up this family of three. The littlest sweet pea is now 3 and has such an adorable personality. The first shot I took of her was where she was squatting down, trying to look into my camera from the front to see what was going on. I loved the curiosity. We spent about an hour and half together, while they enjoyed some fun family time (slightly directed by me). :)

Daddy tickles - love the giggles

Turns out she's a big Hello Kitty Fan. So am I.

What a sweet, sweet family.

Had she been wiling, I'm pretty sure I could have stayed

in this spot and photographed her all day long!

Both the furry and non furry kids, being adored by Mom!

Thank you for allowing me to spend such a wonderful morning with you. Enjoy the sneak peek - and the rest of this amazing Fall!

Fall Laughter

2011-10-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

What a fun session this was with a truly wonderful family! We spent the majority of it laughing. What more could I ask for? This mom was my little boy's kindergarten teacher a couple of years ago and we simply adored her from the moment we met. Over time I've enjoyed getting to know the rest of this family. The littlest one made her entrance about 6 months ago and once she could sit up, it was a perfect time to do a family session. And, we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful weekend or gorgeous colors all around. Here's a sneak peek of this session.

Three little sweet peas.

Right before I took this, he said, "I know a cool sit". And he did.

Love her confidence as we stood right out in front in the light.

I laugh every time I see this. Every time.

I just adore this family.

Perhaps one of my all time favorites!

I hope you enjoy these photos. More to come soon in your full gallery. Thank you again for asking me to be your photographer and spend such a perfect fall afternoon together!

Three Times

2011-10-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I have the best job in the world. I've been lucky enough to photograph this beautiful family three times! They were my first "official" referral and shoot with people I didn't know prior to showing up with my camera. On our first shoot, the little guy was 3 and the little gal was 6 months. We did a second shoot 6 months later for her first birthday. Another year and a half passed and now they are five and two and a half years old. I knew, heading to this shoot, that I would see huge changes in both kids and I certainly did. But oh, what a treat to photograph them as they are growing up.

We met at park nearby and had a great time with this session. The weather was amazing, the setting perfect and the family such a treat to work with again. I found out after the fact that the little guy told his mom that when he grew up, he wanted to be a photographer like me. How sweet is that?!

Courtney, these cutie pies' mom, has also been a wonderful word of mouth referrer for me and I would like to take a moment to publicly say thank you! Enjoy the photos so far. More to come soon in your full gallery. Happy Autumn!

The K Family Sneak Peek

2011-10-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

The fall photo shoots have officially begun! The colors outside are making me giddy as it's like a painting outside, everywhere I look. This was such a fun shoot! All of the images here are the full family shots, as we are a bit under the gun for one of these to be chosen as a gift for a very special upcoming anniversary. More photos to come of some of the more spontaneous moments during this shoot. The last one is my absolute favorite of the entire day!

Happy Fall!

Two Amazing Little Men

2011-09-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

What a joy and honor it was to photograph this family. Two oh so sweet little boys and an amazing set of parents. As you'll see, the older of the two boys has some challenges which most of us will never have to face. When their mom called to book the shoot, she explained that the shots of kids running through the fields wouldn't be images we'd be capturing with her boys. Her oldest son has cerebral palsy, a physical disability only, in his case. I simply told her that I would most likely ask for more guidance than I normally would as to what we could and couldn't do.

What a remarkable little guy he was. My heart strings were touched and I immediately adored him. He was friendly and funny and polite and straightforward about what he could and couldn't do during the shoot. I didn't need to ask his mom for guidance; I simply asked him. And the littlest one...well, what a smile he has. A miniature flirt in the making. I could have photographed both boys all day long!

We decide to do the shoot at their house. I arrived around 8:30 and the boys were just finishing getting ready. Both kids came downstairs and the only finishing touch needed was to put shoes on. Clearly, I was out of practice, as 20 seconds after I helped by putting on the littlest guys shoes, it promptly came off. Fortunately, Dad came to the rescue. As we started shooting, I immediately got a slew of silly faces which made me laugh. My camera started clicking and barely stopped for the next hour and a half. Frankly, I laughed quite a bit through the entire shoot and then again as I reviewed the images from the day.

We started out in their new toy car and then moved into the Nimbo, a new walker which is less than a year old. It was inspiring to watch as he used all of his energy to go back and forth on the sidewalk and reach the sunny spots. The littler man got in on a bit of the action and then decided to just hang out and watch for a bit.

After we finished in the front of the house, we all moved to the backyard. There is some wonderful ivy covering the garage in the back and I wanted to make sure we got some images with that in the background. It was easy to make the littlest guy giggle and clap. I loved it! We spent a bit of time taking shots here before boys got hungry and we took a break for a snack.

After their tummies were fuller and happiness came back, we headed back outside to do some final family shots. The lighting was wonderful in this spot and I snagged mom and dad for some photos of just the two of them. Their dog, Ernie, snuck in there which I was happy to see. We had tried to get him into a few earlier family shots, but that proved a bit more difficult than we thought it would be. There was a bit of a laugh fest in the middle of the photos and I caught as much of it as I could.

Oh how I love capturing moments like these. Every time I see this photo it makes me smile. I have a fun series that includes this bottom photo, but I'm saving it for the full gallery!

Brooke and Mike - you two are amazing parents with two incredible sons. I couldn't be happier that you asked me to be your photographer so that I got to meet your family and see the amazing spirit in both of your little men. I hope you enjoy this Sneak Peek. More to come soon.

Quinnie the Pooh Sneak Peek

2011-08-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take credit for the title of this Sneak Peek, but alas I can't. Quinnie the Pooh is this adorable little girl's pet name given to her by her Aunt who happens to be one of my best friends. I've been so excited to photograph her ever since I saw the first pictures of her not long after she was born! I finally got my chance this past week.

As Quinn's grandpa now resides in a nursing home, the decision was made to do the shoot there. It allowed him to be a part of the family photos and all his kids wanted to capture some time with their dad. After I arrived, we got Dad/Grandpa all situated and headed out to the courtyard. I wasn't sure how this would go, given that we would be in a courtyard in a nursing home. However, as it turned out, we had the entire place to ourselves for almost the full duration of the shoot and the flowers and surrounding areas were so pretty! It just goes to show you that you don't need much space or some big fancy place to enjoy a photoshoot and get some great shots!

We started out with family photos which included Grandpa. We wanted him be alert and also not have his dinner delayed too much. Once we got a series of photos with Grandpa, we set Quinn loose and my shutter went crazy!

Dad and his girls

QTP and her Aunt!

Mommy with her cutie pie!

Sisters

It was a treat to photograph this entire family, including Dad/Grandpa. I loved the decision to do this at his nursing home to ensure that some great memories were captured and that he was a part of them. Thank you for asking me to be your photographer for this shoot! I look forward to watching Quinn grow up - just not too fast!

The K Family Sneak Peek

2011-08-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

This family session was a gift from a good friend of the mom of these 4 beautiful children. I was contacted a few months ago, asking if I sold gift certificates. Why, of course I did! It was to be a gift in honor of the arrival of the newest little guy in the family!

We met at Cantigny a little over a week ago and the weather was simply beautiful! The 2 older boys had picked out their outfits (with the help of Mom to make sure they didn't clash) and everyone showed up looking fabulously coordinated! The kids were very excited to show me their special objects they had brought with them. They were outgoing and friendly and I knew we'd have a fun shoot!

Here is a peek from our time together...

What gorgeous little boys!

He was such a happy, content little guy. In fact, I'm not sure I heard a peep out of him for the entire shoot!

She is a huge Harry Potter fan! The special object she brought was a wand. It took us a few tries to find the right spot, but we finally did it!

Love for the newest little guy

The races were fast and furious with lots of laughter!

I loved how they all gathered around their newest little brother!

The main guest of honor! We put him on his tummy and he used everything he had to get his head up. For awhile, it was just his tush up in the air, which made everyone giggle.

Thank you for the opportunity to photograph your family. Everyone was so sweet and easy to work with. Enjoy the photos!

Our Family Session Sneak Peek

2011-08-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

As you saw in my last post, we went down to Kentucky to celebrate our niece's 4th birthday. My sister-in-law asked if, while I was there, i would take the newly turned 4 year old's photo. Of course I agreed. And, since we were all together, I just turned it into a full family session. My mother-in-law had been requesting a photo of her three kids for some time now, so we included that as well. Blue was the agreed upon color, which seemed fairly safe. Considering how many different shades of blue there are, I'd say we did pretty well. Here is a quick sneak peek of the images from the day....

The three siblings - at long last!

The birthday girl with Mom and Dad

Happy smiles!

A budding ballerina

Three cousins - oh how they love spending time together! It's so much fun to watch and I love that they have such a great relationship with each other.

Thank goodness for timers and tripods! I managed to get in our family shot. Yay!

This was taken at the end of the shoot. The kids spotted a big water mister and asked if they could play in it for a few minutes. I snapped this quickly before they were completely soaked, which happened only a few moments later.

I'm so glad we were able to pull this family session together! Thanks for asking me to do this. I had such a great time and can't wait to have us all together again soon.

Turning 4!

2011-08-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Louisville with my family, to visit my husband's brother and his family. Our niece was turning 4 and having a birthday celebration. Our kids all get along beautifully and as I've said before, it's like one big giggle fest. I was asked if I'd like to take photos during the party and of course, I say yes! (Honestly, I would have been doing it anyway...) :)

The Birthday Girl

The party took place in the backyard and had a plethora of things for the kids to do. The clock reached 11:30 and pretty soon there were kids everywhere, having a fantastic time! Three hundred and twenty five images later, the party was over. This is just a samping of some of the photographs and a peek into how much fun everyone had! The theme was a Silly Monster Party, which I just loved!

There were cute balls and masks and little stuffed animal monster.

There was a fun jumpy birthday cake, swimming, swinging, sliding, playing in the sand, balloons animals, cake and ice cream. I'm pretty sure that no one stopped moving for two hours.

He was the littlest guest.

Even the moms got in the jumpy too!

We also had lots of musical entertainment!

It was time for cake!

Mommy Smiles

My niece got a little candle blowing prep talk.

The candles were blown out and everyone feasted!

There was hoola hooping, riding on kid motorcycles and lots of happiness!

The party was great and we truly enjoyed our visit with family! Happy, Happy 4th Birthday!

A Day in the City

2011-08-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

One of my most favorite things to do with my munchkins in the summer is to take them downtown to Millennium Park. We take the train downtown, ride the El around to State & Madison. We play at the Splash Pad, eat ice cream, check out The Bean (aka Cloud Gate) and then head back home. It's a fun full day in the sun and I've gotten quite good at packing efficiently with clothes, swimsuits, towels and other necessities for the day. And, of course, my camera always comes along for the ride!

The year the kids and I went with a fabulous new friend of mine and her two daughters. We had an absolute blast! Below are some fun moments and images from the day!

They all did this as soon as we came out of the train station. Thank goodness I had my camera out!

Squeeze together! Only the littlest one turned around first. It took some coaxing with the older 3.

Taken on the wall lining the Seas Tower.

What a trip to Chicago without a photo of the Sears Tower? (and no, I won't call it the Willis Tower. Sorry.)

The kids were a little too fascinated with the pigeons which, of course, were EVERYWHERE.

Some of the best ads I've even seen on the El platform

Her first ride on the EL.

We had a fabulous lunch at Pizano's on the excellent recommendation of my friend!

They all jumped right in and headed straight for the Tower.

Hours and hours of fun!

My daughter is walking away. My son is looking right at me. Caught this just in time!

Our littlest model!

Braving the downfall

A side angle of my girlfriend's photo

Two very happy mommies and new friends! (It took about 10 tries to get this shot...)

At the Bean - you have to take one of these shots every time! :)

It was such a wonderful day. I can't wait to go on more adventures with these fabulous girls!

My Munchkins

2011-07-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

I'm at bit behind on posting these images to my blog. Life has a way to moving by so fast, doesn't it?

A couple of weeks ago, my munchkins asked me to do a "real" photo shoot with them. I learned, as I was getting everything ready for the shoot, that "real" meant bringing all of my props that I use with clients from time to time. So, I had to bring the mini chair, an umbrella an 2 silly hats. They asked for the ball and the bubbles too, but I turned them down on those. I actually don't bring the props to shoots too often anymore. I will if it makes sense, but I don't want all of the same things to be in all of my shoots. Every shoot must be unique.

We headed off to Cantigny around 6:45pm. The sun was about an hour from setting and the lighting was perfect! The kids had a blast giggling and playing and arguing over who was getting their photo taken next. Have I mentioned just how thankful I am to have little people who truly love getting their picture taken? They are so used to me having my camera that I believe they would think it was more odd if I wasn't constantly taking photos of almost everything we do.

I am terrible about printing photos and putting them up in my house. It doesn't make sense, I know. But, it's true. However, with this shoot, I just might be motivated to get a few more things on the wall!

Ashley's Senior Photo Shoot Sneak Peek

2011-07-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

So, I've known this beautiful girl since before she made her big entrance into the world. Her mom, Jenni, and I have been best friends since 8th grade. The fact that Jenni has a daughter who will be a senior this year is absolutely mind boggling. Aren't we still just 18 or 19 ourselves? You blink and 20 years passes.

Ashley won this photo shoot for free! I did my first Facebook giveaway contest and she singlehandedly help me gain about 20 new fans on my Fan Page throughout the contest. When I drew the winner, it was no surprise that Ashley's name was the one in my hand. All those extra fans gave her many additional entries which clearly worked for her in the end.

After a few messages back and forth, we got a date set right after the 4th of July. Ashley has been in Cross Country throughout her high school career, so I thought it would be fun to do some shots at the track at school. We started out there, after sweet talking one of the Athletic Directors into letting us on the track for a short time. (okay it wasn't THAT hard, but it's more fun to tell it that way!)

Holy mackeral was it ever hot! Even at 8:30 in the morning, there was no shade and the sun was beating down on the black top and us! I have to say though, Ashley was such a great sport. She did whatever I asked and hung in there until I got what I wanted in images.

Next, we headed to a nearby Park District park. I always love shooting at new locations. This spot was perfect with bridges and trees and a river and so many beautiful things all around. We walked and took pictures and talked and took pictures and had a lot of fun! Ashley truly knows how to look right into the camera and give sincere smiles with her eyes, which always makes such a difference in getting great images.

I can hardly wrap my head around how grown up she is now. It just doesn't seem possible. It was a true joy photographing her.

I wish you all the best in the your final year of high school Ashley! It will fly by before you know it. Have fun! Enjoy the photos!

So I walked into my television set...

2011-06-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

...and found myself in the live studio audience of So You Think You Can Dance. At least that's what it felt like. If you aren't watching this show, you are truly missing out. But, I've jumped ahead. Let me back up just a bit.

About a week and a half ago, one of my girlfriends sent me a most tempting note on Facebook. It read: "I'm going to see SYTYCD next Wednesday!!!! I sooooo want you to come with me! Any cheap last-minute flights?! :)" Ummmm, yuh huh!!!! But realistically, I didn't think I could pull it off. I had conflicts, kids in camp, work, plus the challenge of finding a flight that didn't cost an arm and a leg. However, turns out, where there's a will, there's a way! I won't go through all the details of what happened to make it all come together, but I have a wonderful babysitter, husband, mother-in-law and bank (that allows me to earn points which basically gave me a free flight) who all came together to help make this trip a possibility. The next thing I knew, I had booked my flight and told Krista I'd be landing LA at 6:45pm the following Tuesday. Holy cow! This was really gonna happen! Yahoo!

I headed to the airport and just as I was about to get on the plane, I spotted a twin mommy friend of mine who I don't get to see very often. As luck would have it, she was on my same flight and we got to spend the next 4 hours chatting and catching up. A nice, unexpected bonus to my trip!

Both Krista and Mike picked me up at the airport, which was such a nice surprise. I hadn't expected to see Mike and it made me smile that he was there too. We headed out for sushi and had a fabulous dinner at Teru Sushi. Krista and Mike had an ongoing, very entertaining argument (all in good fun) about whether or not Krista had ever been there and how often Mike had suggested they dine there. All I know is that the food was delicious and we had an entire room all to ourselves. It was wonderful to not be on any sort of time schedule, other than my body clock which I was working hard to convince was already on Calfornia time! (The lighting in there was a challenge to say the least, but I snapped a few photos anyway.)

Much to my surprise, Krista and I stayed up talking until about 1AM, which was 3AM my time. I'm not sure how I pulled that off, but I did. I guess that's what happens when you know you only have a short time to spend with an adored friend you don't get to see very often.

The next morning, after we were all up, Mike offered to make us breakfast. He made homemade hashbrowns, scrambled eggs and vegetarian bacon (which was interesting to try and quite good). We ate out on the back porch, which apparently doesn't get used too often. Hopefully, they'll use it more now!

After breakfast, Krista and I stayed in our jammies and talked until about noon. What a treat! While we did have to be at the studio for the taping at a certain time, there wasn't any sort of rush that morning. So, we just relaxed and got ready starting around noon. An absolutely perfect morning! Mike took off for a 10 mile run while we primped. We had to wait for him to return so that he could take a few photos of us before we left for the show. I also wandered around the backyard and took a few shots of their awesome lemon tree and pretty flowers.

I would so make lemonade on a regular basis if I had one of these in my back yard!

I have no idea what type of flower this is, but I loved how the light was hitting it.

All dolled up and ready to go!

Krista and Mike's baby is a little ball of fur named Lucy. She is an adorable little thing, who according to Krista, can be quite ferocious. However, we seem to be fast friends and so I got her in on the photo taking action too! Perhaps it's because she seems far more like a cat than a dog to me. And yes, that is a cat bed she's snuggled up in!

Before we hit the studio, we stopped at Chipotle for lunch! A friend and colleague of mine lives quite close so she joined us for lunch. It was so great to see Nilah, especially since she has a little person about to make his arrival! I was sad our visit was so short, but I'm so happy we got to spend even a short bit of time together.

After lunch, we headed to the studio. It was oh so exciting! We were actually going to see the show live! I had to turn in my camera and my phone, which was painful, but I knew it was going to happen. Nonetheless, I took a few shots before and after the taping, before I turned my camera in and once I got it back.

Where we picked up our official tickets - before I had to turn my camera in!

This is where we waited to head inside.

The CBS studios where the show is taped.

Krista and I after the show, just outside the studios!

It was so hard to not have my camera with me, but there really wasn't much I could do about that.

As you saw from the first photo, Krista and I had awesome seats and could be seen on TV several times. We even chatted with Cat a few times, which was so much fun. What a sweetheart she is!

Krista and I also make friends with Melanie Moore's mom - our favorite female dancer this season. She was kind enough to give us a few signs to hold up in support of Melanie. We chatted for awhile and she told us that if I gave her my cell phone number, she'd text us later to let us know where Melanie would be after the show. Yes, that worked for us!!! She said Melanie would be happy to take photos with us and sign the sign! Oh, we were so looking forward to that!

After the taping, Krista and I headed over to the Grove. It's a big shopping and dining area right next to the studios. We wandered around a bit, checked out a few stores, took some pictures in front of the fountain and finally decided to have dinner at a restaurant called The Farm, which served locally sourced and organic produce and meats. Perfect!

Neither one of us have problems asking random people to take our photos! :)

A mini photo shoot just for fun.

I love this photo of Krista - anything with a real laugh always makes me smile.

I couldn't resist taking photos of the fountain. This was right next to where we ate dinner.

Clearly an overexposed image, but Krista and I agreed that it kinda made it look like a painting. Sometimes exposure accidents are a good thing!

This is where we ended up eating, outside, next to the awesome fountain.

After we sat down to order and eat, Krista spotted Nick (the fabulous tapper from the show) on the other side of the fountain. It took me 2 times to get up the nerve to walk up to him, but I finally did and he was such a sweet guy. Right as we were getting ready to take a photo, Clarice walked up and I pulled her in too. We chatted for awhile and I wished them both the best of luck.

I went back to join Krista and we both ordered some wine. I must admit, I love taking photographs of wine. If you must know, mine was the larger of the two (I wasn't driving!). :)

After we had started eating, Melanie's mom, Vicky, sent us a text to let us know that Melanie was at....you guessed it...The Farm! How funny! After she finished eating, she walked over towards us and we met her in the walkway. What a beautiful and kind girl she was! Both Krista and I were thrilled to get to meet her. She signed my sign, took a few photos, answered a bunch of questions about what this experience was like and then we wished her well. She has our votes every week for sure!

Look at how adorable they both are!

After that, we finished dinner, paid the bill and headed home. The day turned out to be so much more than we had anticipated! Once we got home, we turned on the TV to see ourselves which was oh so much fun. At that point, I was so tired I could barely see straight and had to go to bed.

I woke up pretty early the next morning and was showered and packed by the time Mike and Krista got up. That way I could spend time with the two of them instead of running around like a crazy person, trying to get ready to go.

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect trip to visit my friends and see one of my all time favorite shows! Thank you, Mike and Krista, for the tickets and for having me as a guest in your home. I had such a wonderful time! I adore you both and hope we are able to all get together again before too much time passes.

Give Lucy my love. :)

Free Photo Shoot Giveaway Contest

2011-06-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

Check out my latest contest! If you are going to be a High School Senior or know someone who is, let them know they have a chance to get their senior photos done for free! Enter on my Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/timestopsphotography!

Good luck!

The B Family Sneak Peek

2011-06-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

Tammy and I used to work together quite a few years ago now. A lot has changed in both of our lives since then! Her and her husband's family grew from 1 little girl to 5 little people. I had twins. (So did she.) We've both changed jobs but kept in touch from time to time. Recently, she called to see if I would be interested in doing a photo shoot for her and her family (all 7 of them), plus another 6 family members. Well, of course I would! Though, I must admit the idea of doing a 13 person shoot was a bit daunting. My biggest to date was 12 people and that had been just about 2 years earlier.

Tammy and I hadn't seen each other in probably 4 years or so. But, when she got out of the car, it felt like we had worked together just the week before. Time has flown by and it was so great to see her and her husband Matt. I anxiously rounded the corner of their van to get a glimpse of her 5 kids who I knew had grown so much since I last saw them. And wow! Such a beautiful group of little people was in front of me. Tammy dressed the entire family PERFECTLY! The longer I do this, the more I see how coordinated clothes really do make a difference. This family could not have possibly coordinated themselves any better. We got started with the 7 of them, while we waited for the other family members to arrive.

Once everyone else joined us, we started shooting various combinations of family members, along with doing several group shots. What a fun group of people I had to work with. Everyone was willing to do what I needed them to and without being asked, the other grownups jumped in to help get the kids to smile and look in various directions. It's a bit challenging to keep track of 5 kids and 8 adults! But, this family pitched in, was patient and had fun spending time together. That's exactly how I always want my shoots to feel for my clients. No one seemed to be in particular hurry to finish so I took my time and took a TON of shots.

This last shot was a "recreation" of an image from when these three siblings were little. While I didn't see the original photo, I can image it in my head.

You have many, many, MANY more shots to come your way with the final gallery, Tammy & Matt & Co. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it was to see all of you. Your family is just gorgeous and your children were such a treat to photograph. I hope you enjoy the images!

In Memory of Sheryl

2011-06-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

Many of you may remember that I lost one of my childhood best friends to ovarian cancer, this past Thanksgiving. Sheryl had an amazing spirit and her six year battle to fight that ugly disease was something to behold. She taught so many of us so many lessons and died with as much dignity and grace as one could hope for.

It's hard to believe she's been gone for almost seven months. Since we didn't talk every day, I still feel I should just be able to pick up the phone and call her. At the end, she told me, as she did several other friends, that she was worried we would only remember her as she was in her final days. I assured her that her last few weeks could never overshadow the 27 years of friendship we shared. What comes to me again and again is her laugh and her energy and her smile and her funny "Sheryl-isms" that we all loved so much. She lived life to the fullest, even when that wasn't easy for her to do.

Yesterday was the SheRox triathlon downtown Naperville. Funds were raised to help with research for finding a cure for ovarian cancer. Sheryl's 2 sisters raised just over $2500 and the law firm Sheryl worked for, Hennessy and Roach, raised over $10,000 in her honor! They also set up a tent at the end of the race for everyone to gather at and celebrate the success of the day. It was a huge turnout and I know Sheryl was right there all along, encouraging the athletes and watching all of us share wonderful memories while raising money for a great cause!

Pam and Robin, along with another of Sheryl's friends, Amy, ran the Triathlon as a relay. Jen Vierling, another friend of ours, did all three legs on her own. I'm so proud of all of them for this wonderful accomplishment! I didn't get down there early enough to see much of the Tri, but I did meet up with everyone post race.

Such a wonderful way to honor our friend, sister, daughter, mom, wife. I still miss her and always will. But, she sure is still leaving her mark on this world, even after she's moved on to the next one.

We love you, Sheryl!

Clickin' Moms Lifetime Membership Giveaway

2011-06-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

I've heard so many great things about Clickin' Moms. Sadly, I just haven't found those extra minutes in my day to go and check it out and join. However, I just came across a post/link from a photographer on Flickr that stated there was a contest going on to giveaway a Free Lifetime Membership (value $195! Nice!) So I clicked and ended up on The Fun Family Blog. Such great images on this blog! You can check it out here: http://www.mdawsongallery.com/funfamily/

All I have to do to enter is post a photo showing emotion - any type of emotion - and link it back to The Fun Family Blog. So, here it is! One of my favorite recent images. You may have seen this in a blog post a few months back. But, here it is again. Enjoy! And wish me luck...keep your fingers crossed! :)

TOSS!

Farabee Family Sneak Peek

2011-06-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

Most everywhere I go, I make new friends. Some of these friendships are fleeting. A handful turn into real friends. I believe this one falls into the latter category.

I met Wendy, this past December, while she and her kids were waiting in line to see Santa Claus. I was there with my munchkins too. I made a comment about the line being long or it being so cold out or something along those lines. From there, we talked pretty much non-stop for the next hour as we got closer and closer to Santa. I loved her humor and energy and our personalities just clicked. Her girls are a few years younger than my 2 kids but they all get along great. (In an earlier blog post, I photographed a playdate we all had together that went so well!)

Wendy asked me to do a family photo shoot and the original shoot date was on her and her husband's anniversary. I so loved that idea! Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided that was a great day to rain so we had to reschedule. The shoot finally came together this past Saturday and we couldn't have asked for better weather.

The littlest one, I learned, was a bit camera shy. However, after much conversation at home in the week leading up to the shoot, she agreed to smile for me and even had a few of her own ideas for poses. I loved it! Wet met at Cantigny and off we went. I had the best time with the entire family. It was the first time I got to meet Wendy's husband Scott.

This is one of my favorite images from the entire shoot. I could just feel the love between these 2. It made me wish I had been able to photograph their engagement session (seven years ago!)

Little Miss A was a gem to photograph! She was so willing to work with me and do whatever I asked of her. The haircut was new and I have to say I think it suits her perfectly and frames her face beautifully!

Little Miss K cracked me up. She is full of sass and fun and she definitely had a mind of her own during the session. What a little bundle of energy and humor!

I so enjoyed my time with this family! And, I'm looking forward to many more years of friendship!

Thank you for the opportunity to spend a few hours with you. I enjoyed every minute! I hope you enjoy the photos!

Sneak Peek - Mr. C and Miss L

2011-05-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

What fun these 2 little cuties were to photograph! For this session, the third time was the charm. We had to reschedule twice due to weather and illness. On the date of this shoot, the weather still wasn't looking great. But, I decided to be optimistic and see what happened. I texted Mom about an hour before we were to begin and said the weather looked suspect but I wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. She agreed and we met at the country club where her dad is a member.

We got started with Mr. C right away, as he is turning one! This little one is on the go. He crawls at a speed I'd call fast forward, making all kind of noise like he's on a mission and then suddenly, he stops. It cracked me up!

Miss L was fully of smiles and personality! Both kids were dressed in sailor outfits first that were just too cute! These are the outfits that when you blink, they've outgrown them and it's so sad. This was the perfect opportunity to showcase them. And the shoes Miss L had on were adorable! I had to sneak in a photograph of just them!

With the age and mobility difference, getting them to hang out together was not an easy task. Yogurt covered raisins bought us a bit of time! I had to move quick before Mr. C headed on the move again!

After we focused on just the kids, they had a clothing change and we moved into some family shots. What a joy they all were to photograph! In order for this type of shoot to be successful, there needs to be family interaction and they were masters at it! Lots of laughter and giggles and hugs and few shoulder rides. I kept clicking away and they kept giving me great shots!

In the middle of the golf course, was a lake, complete with it's own set of ducks. Little Miss L loved the ducks and was on a mission to go see them up close and personal. Suddenly, we looked towards the water and there they were. Miss L and her Daddy headed down to see them. By this time the sun had come out and was reflecting beautifully off the water.

I'd say we all got a workout during this shoot but it certainly was a fun one! Thank you for calling me again this year and hanging on to my number for so long. It was wonderful to meet all of you. Enjoy the photos!

Picture Inspiration- Week 13 - From the Ground Up

2011-05-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I found changed my photography almost immediately was changing my perspective. We often shoot from right where we are...standing up looking at an object. There are so many more ways to look at the world around us and completely change the feel of it by changing where you position the camera. I love to get down on the ground and shoot images from that level. I've been known to climb on a ladder and shoot down on an object or lay on my back and shoot up. I love getting on my stomach to photograph little kids as that puts me right at their eye level and you get an entirely different feel to the image. Try it sometime...you must might be surprised by the results.

This week's assignment was to shoot From The Ground Up. Taking a photograph from this perspective can give the viewer the feeling that they have an insects view. A great subject for this perspective is flowers. But, I wanted to do something a little different this week instead. This past Friday night, my family and I went to see our cousin, Ariel Friedman, play her cello with another fiddle player named Hanneke Cassel. The performance featured mainly Scottish fiddle music and was truly outstanding. (Another blog post coming about that night in the very near future). As I watch Ari play her beautiful instrument, I kept thinking I wanted to photograph the cello from the bottom up. But, as you can imagine that might be rather awkward with her sitting there! :) During the intermission, she laid the cell down on it's side on the stage and I jumped on the opportunity. This is the shot I wanted, albeit horizontal instead of vertical, but I still really like it!

I have a few other images I've been really happy with from this perspective over the past couple of years. This past February we had an incredible snow storm - 19 inches! The world was completely white and no one was driving anywhere. It took awhile for the snow plows to make their way around the city. In walking down the street through the snow, I dropped on to my stomach to give the perspective of what the road looked like. After I was laying in the middle of road, I realized that probably wasn't my best plan, but I snapped the shot anyway. And honestly, there wasn't a car to be seen. But still....I'm glad I did it.

Last April, a friend and I went to the Arborteum to take photos of the amazing daffodils in bloom at that time. I stuck my camera underneath one of the blooms and shot up into the light. I then added a few textures and gave it this oil painting quality. This remains one of my all time favorite images!

Finally, I took this shoot last week while waiting for a client to arrive for a shoot. These were such interesting magenta and yellow flowers I couldn't resist taking a few photos. This one, again, I put the camera underneath the flowers and shot upwards. I love the effect this creates.

So, what are you going to photograph from the ground up?

Picture Inspiration - Week 12 - Mysterious Ways

2011-05-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

I think this may be one of my favorite shots so far. For week 12, we were asked to photograph something that leaves us scratching out heads, be it a color, a shape, a gesture or something else entirely. Nature is an amazing place with so many interesting and curious ways.

I have a wonderful sweet kitty named Indy. We found her on the 4th of July and so her name is short for Independence. There are so many special things about her. One of the coolest things is that she is a FEMALE orange tabby. They are very, very rare. The vast majority of orange tabbies you'll find are male. In fact, my vet, in all his years of practice, has only seen one other orange tabby that is female and that was this year.

The other thing I love about her is her eyes! They are simply amazing. My kids are fascinated with them as well. Indy was sitting on the desk where I work and her eyes caught my attention. It was bright, so her irises were only small slits, leaving the rest of her eyes in all their beautiful green and yellow marbled glory.

This was not an easy shot to get, as she wouldn't still sit. (Imagine that!) But, I did manage to get a few that I liked, this one being my favorite. Below is the original shot, from which I cropped the top one. I like the fully body one too, but for the assignment, I wanted to highlight her eyes, of course.

Oh how I love this sweet, sweet girl!

Picture Inspiration - Week 11 - Into The Distance

2011-05-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

For week 11, we were encouraged to look Into The Distance. The assignment was to go out into the Wild Blue yonder and let our eyes wander and stretch farther than we normally might.

I was doing a photo shoot this past Tuesday and I brought us to my favorite spot for the session. I shoot in this grove of trees all the time as it's such a perfect place for the kind of shooting I do. As my client took a short break to change her clothes, I snapped off a few shots of just the area. All of the sudden, in the far distance, in the small opening way far out, there was a golf cart. It was there for only a few moments, but I realized immediately that this would be perfect for this week's shot.

In all the time I've been taking photos here, I've never seen anything out there. Guess it was meant to be.

The Bucket List

2011-05-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

We've all heard of a bucket list, right? It's that list you make of things before you die or "kick the bucket." I hear that phrase from time to time. But, I've never been involved in actually helping someone accomplish one of the goals on the list....until yesterday.

I met Carmen at a birthday party that both my kids and her kids were attending about 2 years ago. We hit it off right away and talked non stop for the next 2 hours. I actually haven't seen her since that party, but we became friends on Facebook right away. I see her posts every once in awhile and she sees mine.

This past weekend I got 2 FB messages from Carmen and a New Client Inquiry through my website. She had come across a open call modeling audition for Wilhemina swimsuits. In order to participate, she had to have a full body shot showing her photogenic qualities, personality and vitality. She asked if I was willing to take the photograph for her and I, of course, responded absolutely!

We met at Cantigny around 5:30pm yesterday and did approximately 45 minutes of shooting. There were 2 outfits, some skipping, a little bit of sassy walking and lots of laughter!

The open call is this Saturday! I have a great feeling that, at a minimum, Carmen will make it the next round. How could she not?!! Look at how beautiful she is and how comfortable she was in front of the camera! Wilhemina Swimsuits would be lucky to have her!

These last 3 images I edited with a little more creative edge. They won't be used for the contest, but I had fun playing with them nonetheless.

Good luck Carmen! Check one more thing off that bucket list! They are going to love you!

Picture Inspiration - Week 10 - Dishing it Out

2011-05-16T20:20:00.001-07:00

So, I've realized I'll probably be perpetually behind on this project. And, I can accept that - as long as I eventually get each assignment done. I like to wait until the inspiration hits me and sometimes, it just doesn't happen with that week.

Our prompt this week was dishing it out. We were encouraged to turn out cameras towards the kitchen and see what every day items tickle our creative fancy. I chose to photograph this aloe plant.

Honestly, it's amazing that this thing is still alive. It was given to me by my friend Sheryl - who knows how many years ago. It started out as a small little offshoot of a much bigger aloe plant at her house. I know this thing has gone for 6 or more months in my den without so much as a drop of water. (I still feel guilty about that). I moved it to the front of my kitchen sink, as I'm standing there at least 10 times a day. I need to see any plants that I should be watering right in front of me or I simply don't remember. It seems to be thriving right now but it's also in desperate need of a new pot. I promise to do that soon.

My beautiful friend Sheryl is no longer with us. She lost her battle with ovarian cancer this past Thanksgiving after an incredible 6 year fight. I miss her every day. I love that I still have this plant from her and that is it so resilient. What a perfect representation of Sheryl that I get to see every day.

Little Miss G and Little Miss J Sneak Peek

2011-05-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

After several attempts to have this photo shoot failed, due to weather, we finally met up this past Friday morning! The sun was out, the temperature was beautiful and we had a great time exploring Cantigny. When the girls got out of the car, I was thrilled to see that they had on adorable matching dresses that basically blended with everything in bloom! The longer I do this, the more I see how much the right clothing really can make a difference.

I loved spending time with the girls! Thank you for asking me to photograph them.

What beautiful little girls they are! I look forward to watching them grow up (just not too fast!)

I'm giving away a free photo shoot!

2011-05-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

I'm running my first Facebook giveaway contest. See below for the details. Not too much farther to go until we hit 200 fans so make sure you get your entry in!

Good luck!

A smashing success!

2011-05-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

So about a year ago, my husband decided he was going to run a half marathon. The training began and was going rather well. Unfortunately, a hip injury made its presence known and in the end, he wasn't able to finish the half marathon. After spending some time in physical therapy and getting everything back in place, Kevin decided to give it another go. Training began quite a few months back, with the goal of running a half marathon in Kentucky in May. That race was last weekend. We arrived in Kentucky on Friday night and went to pick up Kevin's registration packet.

Then we did a bit of shopping through the expo.

The next morning the both Kevin and his brother David, who was also running the half marathon, left at the crack of dawn to head to the Start/Finish line. As the race came up the street, one street over from the house where David and Ann live, we decided to wait and see them pass by at between mile 6 & 7 before heading to the finish line. The kids were excited to be waiting and watching for Kevin to come by.

(check out Peyton on the far right - he cracks me up!)

While we waited, my little guy stuck out his hand to high five the runners. Some of them even came all the way across the street to hit his hand. It was fun to watch!

Finally, Kevin came by and got his high five!

After that we took off back down the street to hop in the car and head to the finish line.

The band was playing at the corner as the runners rounded their final turn to the finish line. The energy and excitement was all around us!

We worked our way down as close to the finish line as we could and began our wait. However, it wasn't very long before we spotted Kevin, running the final stretch!

Kevin crossed the finish line at 1 hour, 46 minutes and 11 seconds! This was an entire 14 minutes quicker than his goal of finishing in 2 hours. He ran just over an average of an eight minute mile. I couldn't be prouder of him! (The time on the official clock doesn't match as it took him 3 minutes to cross the start line once the race began).

After Kevin crossed the finish line, we started to watch for David. We finally spotted him, not long after Kevin came by. David finished in 2 hours and 1 minute! That's especially impressive, considering he didn't even train for this race.

Once both boys had finished, we went back to find them in the Runner Reunite Area!

After we said our congratulations, we let the boys gather their stuff and hop on their bikes to ride home. On our way back to the car to head home as well, the kids wanted to go and see the river. It was still extremely high from the recent flooding.

Finally, we arrived home and spent the remainder of the day relaxing outside in the perfect weather and watching the last of the marathoners run past the house at mile marker 20. Peyton sang to everyone for about a half and hour and I snuck in a quick cousins photo!

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend spent with family and witnessing an incredible accomplishment by my husband, who worked so hard to get there! Congratulations, Babe! We love you!

Sharing A Passion

2011-04-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

I feel so very, very lucky to have a friend with whom I share my passion for photography. You may remember seeing photos from last February when Tracy came into town and we spent the day together in Chicago, visiting a photography museum and then taking pictures of each other and the beautiful city! Well, this time it was my turn to go visit Tracy in her neck of the woods in Iowa. So, I set off on Thursday morning after I got my kids to school.

Tracy had asked me to take some photos of her and her daughter while I was there. Happily, I agreed. As a fellow mom and photographer, there is very little proof that I exist in my family in my library of photos. That's because I'm always the one holding the camera. The same goes for Tracy. I'm sure many of you can relate. So, after I arrived and her daughter woke up from a nap, the three of us headed out to find a good spot to take photos. As we were driving, I noticed a field with tall, yellow grasses. We parked the car, got out our gear and spent the next 2 plus hours taking photo after photo after photo. (I took 444 in all.) Tracy's daughter was a very willing little participant and did a great job when we asked her to do some specific things. Here are a few of my favorites.

Tracy also snapped a few photos of me and her daughter. These two were taken by Tracy.

After we got home from this shoot, Tracy's husband came home and just us grown up girls headed out for an extremely yummy dinner.

The next day, Tracy's daughter went to Tracy's sister's house so we could have a bit more time for just the two of us. We went to this fantastic little French cafe owned by a French woman and the food was incredible! It was cute and quaint and so, of course, we whipped out our cameras and snapped away.

We lingered for about 2 hours, eating and talking over lunch, coffee and then we shared a delicious dessert. As it was raining outside, we weren't in any hurry to head out into the miserable weather.

However, in true photographer fashion, we did head out into the rain and drove to an abandoned, literally falling down house, that was purchased by Tracy's sister and husband a little over a year ago. They purchased the place for the property, not the house, which you can't even enter. But, through our lenses, this was a GREAT subject for even more photos of our adventure together!

This is a fascinating house. Oh how I wonder about the people that lived there and what happened in life to make the house end up this way. And, I wonder where these people are now.

I started to say to Tracy..."These types of cellar doors always remind me of...." and she finished my sentence for me with..."The Wizard of Oz?". Exactly.

As we walked around the property, Tracy pointed out these 4 little crosses hanging on the back of the house, seemingly in perfect condition. A stark difference to the rest of the property. And, I think, such an odd place to hang crosses.

We started to drive away and I glanced out the window. I suddenly spotted these buds, way up high in the tree and realized this was a blooming magnolia. So, the car stops again, I hop out and snap about 10 photos. This must be quite the site with this tree in full bloom.

From there, we decide it time to move on. Driving back up the road we came in on, we spotted a wild turkey roaming through the woods. I kid you not. But, I'm not posting a photo because everything I took was blurry. But, it was definitely a turkey.

Having not yet taken any photos of the two of us, we thought the long road surrounded by trees would be a great place to stop and use my new wireless remote. It took us a bunch of tries (about 15 or so) to get it right...hence one of our "bloopers" below.

This next one was fairly decent.

And FINALLY, the one we liked the most!

The time Tracy and I spend together is so inspiring and motivating. We get to geek out over everything photography and completely understand where the other one is coming from. We've gotten pretty good at planning trips to see one another and oh how I hope this continues. I feel so very, very lucky to call her my friend. After meeting as dancers many years ago and then losing touch for awhile, it's so funny how life comes around and now we share a new, different passion. So unexpected and so completely amazing.

Thanks for a fabulous couple of days, Tracy! See you in a few months...

Picture Inspiration - Week 8 - Random

2011-04-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

So, clearly, I'm not caught up yet on my assignments. But, my goal is simply to get them done and be happy with the image posted, even if it's not done "in time." Week 8's challenge was to take a photo of something random. I think you might agree that red boots on a tree stump in front of a falling down, abandoned house is rather random. I spent a few days in Iowa with one of my best photog friends and we had a blast! More photos from our time together coming up in the next blog post.

On to Week 9 - Observation Mode!

Week 7 - Picture Inspiration - The Shape of Surprise

2011-04-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

So yes, I'm a bit behind on Week 7, considering it is now Week 8. Life happens and then I catch up when I can! This week's assignment centered around reflections again, only this time we needed to only capture the reflection, not the object being reflected. I was waiting for the right situation to arise. It finally came yesterday while I was downtown with my munchkins, seeing a play, getting ice cream (as the photo implies) and playing at the park.

Who doesn't love to see a painted ice cream cone on a window?

This is another reflection I took last year, so it's from the archives. I spotted this with the help of a friend who was with me on the fantastic architectural boat tour on the Chicago River.

And now, on to Week 8...

The N Family Sneak Peek

2011-04-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful family to photograph for my first spring shoot! It was extra special for me because the mom is a friend of mine. We used to dance together in high school for a local ballet company. However, we probably haven't seen each other in about 20 years or so. The other cool part, was that my friend lives in New Jersey and checks out my images on Facebook. So now, I can officially say I had clients fly in from New Jersey for their shoot! Well, they were really in town to help her mom get her house ready to sell, but STILL! :) When she emailed to see if I was available, I couldn't have been happier.

We met at Cantigny in the morning. It's one of my absolute favorite places to take photographs. I'd gotten a bit of scoop on her kids a few days earlier. Her little guy loved the camera and was a piece of cake to photograph. Her daughter, on the other hand, wasn't quite so thrilled with the photography outing. But, we knew we'd get her to warm up. And, once we did, she was all smiles! We first got her to warm up over the pretty daffodils that have finally started to bloom.

After that, we took a walk to a few other places in the park and then ended up at my favorite open field which is lined with trees. I wasn't sure what it would look like as there aren't any flowers and the leaves still aren't on the trees. But, this is such a sweet spot and I'm so happy with how the images turned out. One of the best things about this area is that it gives the kids space to run and have fun. That ALWAYS creates better photographs!

I do believe this is one of my favorite shots from the entire session!

These two were such willing subjects and we all had so much fun.

I love the happiness here.

My friend's mom and brother also joined us. It was nice to get a couple of family group shots as well!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to photograph your family and to see you again!

I love how life comes around full circle sometimes! Safe travels back home.

Spring Break Fun

2011-04-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know. Spring Break was finished about a week ago. So, this post is a bit overdue. That's what my twins club resale does. It consumes my life for about a week, leaving little time for anything else. So, I'm now playing catch up.

On Spring Break my two munchkins and I met up with some new friends we made last December. We all met while standing in line waiting to see Santa, at Santa's House on the Riverwalk. It took about an hour for us to finally get in to see Santa and I'm pretty sure we talked each other's ears off the entire time. It took us until last week to finally get together again, but we've stayed in touch through Facebook since that December day.

We started out at the Children's Museum in Naperville. It didn't take the kids long to warm up to each other again and about two and half hours of hard core playing ensued.

Standing under the water bubble. This is lots of fun for both the little girl under it and the kids who get to toss water on top of it.

You can't go wrong being at the wheel in a pirate ship or crawling out of the bottom of it.

Only at a children's museum is it this much fun to blow air at your head. Somehow she doesn't think this is as much fun when I'm blow drying her hair at home.

Upstairs is a tunnel, shaped like a triange, lined with mirrors with a few windows to let light in. Ummmm yah. I could have taken photographs right here for several straight hours. What an awesome spot!

What little kid doesn't love a teeter totter?!

I loved his concentration while putting these shapes together.

More building with shapes. These magnetic ones are really fun!

Upstairs at the museum, there is also a stage. My little guy LOVES to create performances. After announcing to all the parents watching that the show would start in 3 minutes, when it was time, the curtain opened and these 12 or so children all sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" in unison. It was a rather proud mommy moment for me and a truly fun site to behold.

After the museum, we headed downtown Naperville and everyone enjoyed some yummy gelato at a fairly new shop called Gelati's. It's now my favorite place to go when we do spend time downtown. Once all the ice cream was consumed, we headed to a nearby park. The kids played for about another hour and half while my new friend and I chatted a mile a minute and bonded over our mutual love of The Letter People from our elementary school days!

This was processed to have a bit more of a vintage feel to it.

Once it was finally time to head home, we all walked to the parking garage together. The 3 oldest kids decided to race to the top. I had just enough time to pull out my camera and snap one shot. There is something about this final image that I just love. To me, it's a moment of pure childhood play.

I'm so thankful for new friends and wonderful experiences! A fun day was had by all!

Picture Inspiration - Week 6 - Seeing Double

2011-04-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

Oh goodness! Life has been crazy. Two times a year my twins club hosts a huge resale. And two times a year my life is completely consumed by preparations for this great event. It's such a valuable event, but it takes all of my time for about a week. That means I've not had nearly the time to play with photos that I normally would. Even now, I should be tagging for the sale, but I decided I absolutely HAD to get this blog post out there. Plus, I'm a pretty decent procrastinator!

And how funny! I just looked at the title of this week, reread how I started this entry out and now you are probably expecting to see photos of twins. Alas, such is not the case. Though, this week's photo is of ONE of my twins. Our assignment for this week was to find a reflection and compose our image so that we were photographing not only the reflection but the actual object being reflected as well. Once you start looking for them, you'd be surprised at just how many reflections you'll see. The image I created is below. My kids and I met up with some new friends at our local Children's Museum. There is this really cool tunnel in the shape of a triangle, lined with mirrors and it has small circular windows on top to let the light in. I loved this thing for taking pictures so much that I tossed up asking my husband to build me one. :)

I love this moment with him, completely engrossed in his own world, enjoying every moment of being a kid.

Here are 2 more images that fit this prompt. These were taken a day later at the Arboretum.

Start looking for reflections. You'll see them everywhere!

Picture Inspiration - Week 5 - To Infinity and Beyond

2011-04-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

While I'm sure an image of Buzz Lightyear immediately came to mind upon reading this week's prompt, alas photographing him was not our assignment. (though, I might sneak in a photo of him at the end.) :)

We were to use repetition (rhythm), a shallow depth of field (where one part of the image is in focus and rest is blurred out behind it) and a diagonal to draw the viewer's eyes into the photo where it could look as though this image continues on into infinity. I took these at the 11th hour, during a visit to the children's museum in our town, while spending the day with a fabulous new friend, her 2 girls and my two children. (that blog post coming up soon!)

Giant Children's Dominoes - about 15 minutes worth of fun for my little guy.

Just some cool balls on a rod that I shot while my munchkins were focused elsewhere.

And, just because this is one of my all time favorite shots, the alternative version:

To Infinity and Beyond!

Buzz Lightyear Meets Buzz Lightyear

(I couldn't resist).

The Amazing World of Actions!

2011-03-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know what Actions are (in terms of image editing), they are a series of editing steps that are saved, which can transform your photograph completely to have a different look to it than what came straight out of your camera. You can pull up a photograph, click on an Action (in Photoshop), push play and watch your photograph take on a whole new feel. Actions can also be used to assist in editing photos for things like brightening an image, lightening up eyes, bringing out the vibrancy in colors in a photograph, sharpening an image, etc. Until recently, I hadn't been able to figure out how to make them work or how to create them on my own.

Last month, my friend Tracy came into town, as some of you might have seen and we spent the day in Chicago having a whole lot of photographic fun. That night, we sat side by side on my couch and she showed me the actions on her computer, how they worked and exactly what they did. It all finally came together in my mind and I ended up buying a couple of sets of actions, from 2 different wonderful photographers - Paint the Moon and Florabella. I've just signed up to win another series of actions from a company called Totally Rad Actions! All 3 of these companies can be found on Facebook, for any of my photog friends who'd like to take a peek. (Fingers crossed that I win the drawing!)

Let me tell you, these things are ADDICTING! After you run the action, each step within the action is adjustable. You can run more than one action. You can add textures over the image after your run the action (more on textures later in an upcoming post). This equates to hours and hours and HOURS of editing bliss. Below is an example of how actions can change your photographs. The first one is the original image from the camera.

Original image SOOC (straight out of camera)

I decided to play with a bunch of different actions to show you just a handful of ways you can change the image. Turns out, black and white isn't simply black and white. There are so many different shades within black and white and other effects to make your image look unique.

Black and White Dream Glow Action from Paint the Moon

Retro Lollipop Action from Florabella

Vintage Buttercup from Florabella

Vintage Wine from Florabella

Obviously, everyone's taste will differ and each person may have a preference on which one they like best. It also depends on what you are trying to communicate with your image and the kind of feeling you are hoping to evoke. My favorite one is the last one - Vintage Wine. There is something that I feel is classy about it, whereas the 2 black and white images give a better sense of nostalgia.

I'm just learning how to work with these and I can't begin to tell you how much fun it is. Fingers crossed that I win the new set of actions from Totally Rad Actions as that would give me even more tools to play with! As with everything, the more you do it, the better you get at it. Someday, I hope to create some of my own. Until then, I'll play with everyone else's! Thanks for reading.

A missed Sneak Peek

2011-03-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Whenever I have a photoshoot, I post a "Sneak Peek" on my blog within a few days of the shoot so my clients don't have to wait a full three weeks to see any of the images. Not sure how, but I missed posting this one for Little Man C and Little Miss M. (I did, however, post some of these on my personal facebook page). These were taken this past November. It was 50 degrees out, sun was shining, there was no wind and it was simply a perfect day. These 2 little people were an absolutely joy to photograph. Their personalities came through loud and clear and they couldn't have cared less that I had a camera on them for about an hour and half. Their mom and I used to dance together in high school. So funny how life can make you cross paths again, some 20 years later!

These photographs were taken at Grau Mill. What a lovely little area with fences and bridges and water and beautiful trees. The house on the property also gave us a great spot for some fun moments.

As you may have already noticed, Little Miss M carried her stuffed giraffe around with her through the entire shoot. I checked with her mom first to make sure it was okay to have him in all of the photos and she said "Absolutely!" I love little touches like this that show so much of who these little people are at this time in their lives.

This next image might just be my favorite one from the whole shoot. I asked Little Mr. C to give Miss M a hug. He reached out, put his arms on her shoulders and started walking and pushing. I laughed the whole time this was occurring and still, again, whenever I see this image!

What a fun session this was! I look forward to photographing these two little sweet peas again in a different season. I love watching the kids grow. Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to capture these moments with your munchkins. They are such wonderful little beings!

Picture Inspiration - Week 4 - Stacks

2011-03-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

The word prompt for this week is Stacks. Once our assignment came out, I knew what I wanted to photograph almost immediately. Tracy, our teacher, suggested that perhaps we actively create what we wanted to photograph instead of finding it already in existence. Creating still life images is not my forte. However, I know that if I don't step out of my comfort zone from time to time, then how can I grow or learn? So, I grabbed my subject matter and got to work with a few different scenarios.

These are antique books which I inherited from my Grandma Meg. Unfortunately, I didn't learn of their existence until after she passed. Most of these have copyright dates in the late 1800's. Additionally, there are handwritten names inside each book with dates as to when they belonged to my family members. It's so amazing to hold these in my hands. A little piece of history that has landed in my home.

As they are antique books, I thought it only appropriate that process them with an antique feel. I couldn't decide which one I liked best, so I posted them both. Which one appeals to you more?

I have the feeling that more of my grandmas's treasures will come in handy as I travel this journey through my Picture Inspiration Class.

One for the Memory Bank

2011-03-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those days that when they come along, you wish they could just last and last and last. My muchkins and I left our house about 11:15 to go meet a girlfriend and her two daughters for lunch. After lunch, we headed to see a play called "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...and other stories." The show was fabulous and we all enjoyed many laughs. Afterwards, we parted ways with my friend and her daughters. The kids mentioned a nearby park on our way back to the car. It was a beautiful day so off we went. They played at the park for about an hour or so, having a fantastic time. The weather is getting warmer and everyone is so ready for it to just stay that way. I snagged my camera and happily clicked away while they happily played. My own little monkey made a beeline for the monkey bars. I lost count of how many times she went back and forth!

My little guy went in a different direction and headed for the slides.

There was climbing and swinging and so much happiness!

He's a bit of a goof - can you tell?

Finally, it was time to go and so the kids needed to empty the sand out of their shoes. (I must admit, sand is my LEAST favorite part of any park.)

As the day was such an enjoyable one, I figured I would surprise the kids with one more treat. Guess what we did next?

Yep! Ice cream it was. Or rather, gelato to be more exact. There is a wonderful little store downtown where we live that sells the best tasting gelato! I got chocolate hazelnut, my daughter chose strawberry and my little man got mint. We shared and mixed and matched and enjoyed every bite.

What a fantastic day! My husband and I refer to these as "one more for the memory bank". How I love this time we have together. I'm one lucky mom.

Week 3 - Picture Inspiration - Motif

2011-03-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

So, this week's word prompt is Motif. Part of the definition, and a guide to our assignment are these words: A distinctive and recurring form, shape, figure, etc, in a design, as in a painting or on wallpaper.

While neither wallpaper nor a painting, what you see below is an item that represents so many things to me. As you can probably tell, it's an afghan. What you don't know is that it was made by my Grandma Meg, who passed away almost 9 years ago. That doesn't really seem possible and I miss her more than I could ever express. This one was originally given to my mom. My mom then gave it to me and now it's one more memory I have of my Grandma in my house. I also have a blue one which was made for me, but it's much smaller as I was a far littler person when she crocheted it.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely DETEST being cold. It can almost top the list of things I can't stand to feel. So, blankets of any sort make me very, very happy. Afghans made by family members - even better and definitely more meaningful.

I love the pattern of this afghan along with the colors. I'm a warm color junkie so browns are always attractive to me. When I look closely at the repeating pattern and details, I honestly have no idea how my grandma had the patience to create this large amazing piece of love. Because that's what it is. Something that she created with her own hands, out of love, for the people in her family.

So this is my motif. A recurring pattern of brown and white, that represents warmth and love, held close to my heart.

New experiences

2011-03-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

One of the most fun things about having traveled this photography path for the last few years is that everyone I know is used to seeing me with a camera everywhere I go. And when I say everywhere, that's not much of an exaggeration. It gives me the opportunity to capture moments and experiences on a regular basis, especially those involving my children and those times that are truly extra special. I like the every day stuff, too, but I make an extra effort for the "first time" events.

My mom called yesterday and asked if we had plans for that evening. We did not. She suggested going out to dinner to use a fabulous coupon she bought from Living Social for Shinto. Shinto is both a sushi and hibachi restaurant. While I couldn't imagine my kids enjoying sushi (although, I do think my daughter could get into it) I had great visions of their faces during an hibachi dinner. Plans were made and we met at 6pm.

While we were waiting for dinner to get underway, we began to explain how it all worked. As they got the idea of what was going to happen, their anticipation and excitement grew. We had drinks and salads and lesson in how to use chopsticks was conducted by my mom and followed closely by my little guy.

Our hibachi chef was Victor. He was full of fun and energy and was great with my kids. The dinner began to get underway and the excellent food started to sizzle on the grill. While things were heating up, Victor poured us all a little bit of what he called "yum yum" sauce. I can assure you that no other dipping sauce has ever been so aptly named! Holy mackerel was that ever yummy!

Next came the main entrees and my all time favorite, the flaming volcano! I had built this up to the kids and I'm pretty confident that the final result didn't disappoint. Every time another volcano went up in flames at another table, my kids were heard shouting, "Volanco!!!"

In the end, it was truly a fantastic night. I walked out of Shinto, pretty sure I wouldn't eat again for another full 24 hours. (I had my leftovers for lunch today, so I guess I wasn't accurate in that thought). Victor was kind enough to pose for a photo with each of my little people after the cooking was done.

What didn't occur to me as we made the plans on that evening, is now that my kids got a taste of this kind of dining experience, how often they would be asking to come back. Oops! That's okay, though, they know that this is a special occasion restaurant ... though they did both mention that this is where they'd like for their birthday dinner to be. Fine by me - I want more of that yum yum sauce!

Picture Inspiration - Week 2 - Rhythm

2011-03-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

This week, our assignment was to take a photo that reflected rhythm. While rhythm can be defined in a myriad of ways, this is the definition we were given to work from: a harmonious sequence or pattern of masses alternating with voids, of light alternating with shade, of alternating colors, etc.

I must admit, this one challenged me a bit. While there is rhythm all around, I wanted to take an image that was different than ones I've taken before. And, while I have some images in my arsenal that fit the bill, I thought it was only right to take a new image. After all, this class is for learning and if I'm using old stuff, then it's cheating. Or laziness. Neither of which I want to participate in.

It took me about 5 tries to find an image that made me happy. First, I tried the railroad tracks. How perfect is that, I thought! But, when I arrived, there was very little differential between each railroad tie and the stones in between them. Next, I tried the front of my dresser. I know that may sound funny, but it's a light wood dresser with dark blacks rings as the handles. When the light hits it just right, the patterns are really cool. But, given that it was such a skinny area, I couldn't get the image framed without getting too much else of the dresser. Next, I hopped in my car and when to an area where there is an old train car parked next to the train tracks. (still on the railroad theme as you can tell). But, my memory of the wheels that were there must have been created in my mind as there were far fewer than I remembered.

Next, I ended up in the high school parking lot. Close to our house are electrical towers. Sometimes I notice them, sometimes I don't. When I do, they are all I can see. I've been wanting to photograph them for awhile and it struck me that this assignment was the perfect reason to do so. I took a few images with different compositions.

Finally, I headed to the park. I snapped a few shots of some of the playground equipment and I felt I had some interesting patterns and got a couple of photos that made me happy as well.

In the end I decided to go with the towers for my class. But, I'm including a few additional images here that I feel fit the bill too.

I see multiple patterns of rhythm here from the design of the towers themselves, to the repeating structures to the wires that come from each of the towers.

I liked the repeated pattern of swings with the poles. And, I can hear the rhythm in my head and see the kids on these in the summer as they go back and forth with squeals of happiness!

This last one is a repeat from the last blog post but fits the bill for rhythm, both in image and movement so I wanted to include it was well.

I wonder what challenge next week will bring. I can't wait!

Funny where life takes you

2011-03-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have only known me in the past 10 years or less, you may not know that I used to be a dancer. I danced for 24 years. For more than the first half of my life, that's how people identified me - as a dancer. I made a decision to stop dancing over 12 years ago now and my life has taken me on a very different path. Being a dancer is something I miss, but not enough to regret the decision I made. It was an amazing experience and taught me more than I could ever express.

Now I'm on this amazing journey called photography. It's wonderful to still be able to have a creative aspect to my life. I love everything about it. I must admit, I think I love it more than I ever loved dancing. I was a good dancer, but not an amazing dancer. It's much easier to be realistic about my abilities now that I've gotten quite a bit older. I held my own, had some great performances, made some extraordinary friends and memories and then it was time to move it.

In high school and for a short stint in college, I danced with Salt Creek Ballet. Later on I became the advanced jazz teacher. Now, I sit on the Board of Directors. Had you asked me when I was 16 if I would still be involved with SCB at this point in my life, I would have said no. But, here I am, still getting to enjoy this beautiful art form called dance and support it from a different place.

Last Saturday, I got to combine these 2 artistic endeavors I've been involved in during the course of my life. Each year, Salt Creek Ballet participates in the Regional Dance Association Festival. Around this time every year, an adjudicator comes out to observe the girls, give feedback and decide which, if any, of the pieces they've shown that day will be included in the various performances that happen during the course of the festival. I remember what it felt like. We worked harder than we ever did with this person sitting in front of us evaluating our individual performances and the company as a whole. For the past few years, I've been an observer, watching in support of the girls who make up the company now and representing the company as a Board Member. There is such strength, effort, determination and pride these dancers have for this art form and for Salt Creek. This time, I brought my camera with me and took over 100 photos. Below is a sampling of some of the beauty these young women posses doing this most exquisite art form.

I've chosen to edit these images in a variety of ways to create a different feel in each one. But, that's a topic for a completely different blog post. Enjoy the photos.

Good luck at this year's festival. I know you will be amazing!

Picture Inspiration - Week 1 - Self Portrait

2011-02-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to embark upon this journey of my first online photography class called Picture Inspiration. The assignment for Week 1 was a Self Portrait. I haven't done many of these and the ones I have done, have all been taken in the mirror. So, this challenge encouraged me to try something new, along with giving me a reason to break out my new wireless remote I bought almost a month ago. (No, I have no idea why I haven't played with it prior to this).
I positioned myself in the front room where I knew I'd have the best light, set up my camera and started clicking away. Okay, well, I clicked once and then crawled over the camera to check the image. I made some adjustments and did it again. I changed lenses, changed positions and crawled back and forth to my camera no less than 53 times. And, I thought photographing OTHER people could be workout!

In the end, I'm rather happy with the result. I had a bunch of photos that weren't good at all, a few that were almost there and a couple I was happy with. Here is the final image.

Inspiration

2011-02-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

The farther I go into this amazing journey of photography, the more resources and inspiration I find. I have just signed up for my first online photography class. It's 52 weeks of inspiration. I can hardly wait to get started!

Sneak Peek - Ashley

2011-02-20T21:14:00.000-08:00

Ashley and I have known each other for a long time. Much longer than either one of us would like to admit, as it means we have to admit our actual age (which I'm not sharing here!) :) We met in college and have run into each other in the most random places since we graduated. Recently, Ashley reached out me via Facebook to ask me to do some headshot photos for her. It's not the type of shooting that I normally do, but I always welcome the opportunity for a new challenge. So, we set up a date and off I went to her house to take some photographs and catch up with an old friend. What an enjoyable day - two things I truly love to do!

Ashley plans to use a black and white image. However, I love the color version of this one as well and just had to share it. She is so beautiful!

Thanks for a great day, Ashley! More photos to come soon.

Sneak Peek - A Family Gathering

2011-01-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

With this whole family together in town, just after the holidays, we scheduled a shoot for family photos. A sweet little girl and a new little boy were the centers of attention. It was a lively morning indeed!

Towards the end of the shoot, we all headed outside for some final photos. Here are a few indoor shots, more to come from the outside. Everyone was such a good sport, in spite of how cold it was.

Thank you for the opportunity to photograph your wonderful family.

Wishing you all the best in 2011!

Sneak Peek - A Welcome Addition

2011-01-06T20:47:00.000-08:00

What a fabulous way to kick off the New Year! This family brought a brand new little guy into the world and into their family right before the end of the year. I was lucky enough to photograph everyone on January 2nd and what a fun shoot this was. This beautiful little girl was a very willing subject and more than happy to do whatever I asked of her. Normally rather shy, she completely bloomed in front of the camera. And, while I thought the little guy wouldn't be awake for long, he was such a trooper and stayed alert for the entire shoot.

I feel so lucky to have met your new baby so early in his life. Thank you for allowing me photograph your entire family. I look forward to watching your little ones grow - just hopefully not too fast!

Sneak Peek - A Family of Nine

2011-01-03T21:21:00.000-08:00

This family photo shoot marks the end of my sessions for 2010. I loved having a session on the second to last day of the year. Everyone was home in his household for just a few days around the holidays so we made sure to get a date where everyone could be included.

I started out photographing the kids. They were an absolute dream. Both kids were more than happy to let me click away while they stared at me with those gorgeous eyes of theirs. I do believe I could have photographed them all day long. The little guy said "yes" to whatever I asked of him in this sweet little voice. I'm not sure he said "no" even one time. They both just stared into the lens with those beautiful dark eyes and I happily clicked away.

We got shots of every family within this family and

I truly enjoyed getting to know each of them just a little bit.

I absolutely love that the dog is winking in this one!

Getting the large group shot lit inside properly was a challenge so outdoors we went. Everyone was such a good sport. We still had a bit of snow but it was chilly and drizzly. The dad of the whole clan kept me laughing by observing my personal comments after each shot I took. I guess it's a little more telling than I realized. After a few "okay" and "good" comments from me post shot, I gave them an "awesome!" once I finally got what I was looking for.

It was wonderful to meet everyone.

I wish you all the best in 2011!

Sneak Peek - Five women and a Dad

2011-01-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

Oh, what a fun family photo shoot this was! A family of 4 girls plus Mom, Dad is certainly outnumbered. But, he kept us laughing the entire time. The silliness reminded me so much of my dad when I was growing up and I loved every minute of it. We started out inside the house and everyone was wonderfully wiling to do whatever I asked of them. Then, we all decided to brave the cold and took some fun shots outside in the snow. I wish everyone had a beautiful background of winter white snow for their photographs!

Thank you for the opportunity to photograph your beautiful family!

Wishing you all the best in the New Year!

Sneak Peek - The M Family

2010-12-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

Oh what a fun photo shoot this was! It was my first indoor shoot in quite some time, but given the time of year, indoor made the most sense. However, I was lucky enough that everyone was willing to play outside as well for a part of the shoot. There was a lot of laughter during this shoot from everyone, including me. What better way to spend the day than having fun, doing something I love, with wonderful people who I also consider friends. Happy New Year!

Sneak Peek - The B Family

2010-11-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

I've had the pleasure of photographing this family three times. Our first shoot was about a year and a half ago and was inclusive of 12 family members! The second time was early this year for a late summer wedding. What a fun day that was! Finally, we had a family photo shoot for just the 4 of them. A more perfect weather day we could not have asked for! We headed out to Cantigny as the sun was setting and had some fun in the open field that is my favorite place to take photographs. The 2 little people had a great time racing around and chasing each other. Dad got roped into a few races as well! We snuck in some family shots between races.

Hope you enjoy the photos!

Sneek Peek - A Very Cold Day

2010-11-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

It was a cold and slightly windy morning as we all braved the weather for this family photo shoot. We had rescheduled once already due the insane winds on the prior Wednesday. The girls were good sports as everyone dropped their coats to get a handful of shots and then hurried back to wrap up and get warm. By the end of the shoot, the 2 littlest ones had warmed up but there were a few popsicles in our group too.

Thank you for the opportunity to photograph your beautiful family!

Growing Up!

2010-10-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

It's fascinating for me to watch how kids grow and change over the course of a year! It's especially fun when I get to see it through the lens of my camera. I did a photo shoot with these 3 sweet little people last fall, right around this time. A year later, the two littlest ones are walking and on the go, wherever their feet will take them. Miss G clearly loves the camera and was more than happy to give me her prettiest smile! All 3 of them had their own ideas about which way to go and where to run next and it was fun trying to keep up with each of them.

Enjoy the sneak peek! More to come soon!

2 more months down...4 more to go!

2010-09-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

May I present my July and August mosaics...

Welcome Miss F!

2010-08-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

This sweet little girl came into the world a little over a month ago. Her mom and I have been friends now for about 22 years. Where oh where does the time go? I headed out to her house last week to take some newborn shots of Miss F. She was such a good sport! We changed outfits, we went inside, we went outside, we changed props and through it all she was a little trooper.

These next two photos should give you a clue as to what team her parents are big fans of!

Disney holds a very special place in this family's heart. One of their family members made this incredible toy box by hand! I just had to incorporate it into our shoot. What little girl wouldn't love a toy box such as this one?!

Welcome to the world, Little Miss F! It was wonderful to meet you. I look forward to watching you grow up (just not too fast, okay?)